Filmmakers are in love with 1990s nostalgia, and they have shown us how much the past few years with several popular remakes from that era. Now they have tackled the brilliance captured on the big screen by Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes with a remake of “White Men Can’t Jump”.
The film will star rapper Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls as the main two characters. Harlow will play the white character that Harrelson portrayed in the 1992 original. Walls will play the character that Snipes portrayed in the first film. The movie debuted on May 19 on Hulu. The reviews are in, and movie critics suggest the movie is average at best.
Average At Best
Timothy Cogshell of the AV Club gave the movie a grade of C. He said the movie leaned on crass humor instead of the insights of two people from different backgrounds, according to Cinemablend.
Katie Erbland of Indiewire gave it a C+. She expressed the frustration over the flashes that showed what the movie could have been.
Other critics attacked Harlow’s acting ability and called the remake “unnecessary.” It should be noted that this is Harlow’s acting debut.
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 79 percent in audience views and 33 percent in Tomatometer reviews.
“The main reasons this update throws a brick is because the miscast Harlow is hardly the charming rascal that Harrelson’s character, Billy Hoyle, was,” said Gary Kramer of Salon.
Star-Studded
Walls plays Kamal, once highly touted prospect whose professional career derailed in a rage-fueled incident the film slowly reveals through flashbacks.
The late Lance Riddick plays his father in the move. Riddick perhaps is best known for his role in the hit early 2000s HBO series “The Wire.” He passed away in March, and this role will be one of his last performances.
Teyana Taylor portrays the girlfriend of Walls’ character.
Harlow is Jeremy, a brash, trash-talking white kid who loves to hang out in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
Miami Heat star Tyler Herro is among the many athletes and entertainers making cameos. Blake Griffin, Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, and comedian Andrew Schulz also make appearances in the film.
This will be the second remake film that Calmatic directed. He also directed “House Party,” which hit theaters earlier this year. That film had a score of 28 percent by Tomatometer reviews and 60 percent score by the audience that reviewed it.
According to By The Numbers, “House Party” made only $9 million in its opening weekend debut.
